A Cowboys defense that just got carved up by the Giants. A receiver duo looking to bounce back. And Quinnen Williams waiting in the interior. Here's where this game gets decided for the Commanders.
The Washington Commanders comes into AT&T Stadium at 0-1 after a tight 24-22 loss to the Eagles. Dallas comes in at 0-1 after getting dismantled by the Giants, 28-20, in one of the ugliest defensive performances of Week 1 across the entire league. Both teams need this. Both teams have questions to answer. Here are the three matchups that will tell us everything about where these franchises actually are in 2026.
Matchup 1: Jayden Daniels vs. a Cowboys Defense That Has No Answers
Based on what Dallas showed in Week 1, Jayden Daniels should be licking his chops. The Cowboys defense was nothing short of a disaster against the Giants -- allowing four points per drive, surrendering nine third-down conversions on 11 attempts, and giving up 394 total yards, including 165 on the ground. Jaxson Dart -- a second-year quarterback still finding his footing -- threw three touchdown passes and moved the ball at will. The miscommunications were glaring. One touchdown came from a linebacker and a cornerback running the same assignment while the tight end stood wide open in the end zone. It feels very reminiscent of last year under Matt Eberflus. One week in, new coordinator Christian Parker has not fixed this defense but there are plenty of games left.
Daniels is a significantly better quarterback than Dart. His arm talent, mobility, and ability to manipulate coverage with his eyes are the exact attributes that picked apart the Giants' miscommunication issues in their own secondary a year ago. With a chance to turn the page from an up-and-down week one showing, Blough's play-action system specifically targets the kind of linebacker-and-safety conflicts that burned Dallas repeatedly on Sunday. The Cowboys allowed the second-most EPA per drive of any defense in the NFL in Week 1. That's not a defense that has found answers. That's a defense Washington should be able to exploit in every phase.
Matchup 2: CeeDee Lamb & George Pickens vs. Washington's Secondary
Here's the part that keeps Daronte Jones up at night. The Cowboys' offense was underwhelming in Week 1 — Dak Prescott went 22-for-34 for just 175 yards and two touchdowns against a Giants defense that is nothing special. CeeDee Lamb caught five of eight targets for 44 yards and a touchdown. George Pickens caught three of six for 28 yards and two dropped passes. Neither looked like the duo that Pickens himself called "the best receiver tandem in the NFL" coming out of training camp. But Washington's secondary gave up big plays against the Eagles, and this is a different animal.
Lamb comes in healthy after missing three games in 2025, when he still put up 1,077 yards and three touchdowns. He's one of the most complete receivers in football — route runner, yards after catch, contested balls, red zone threat. Against Washington last December, he was a consistent problem. Pickens is the volatile element. He dropped two passes against the Giants and drew a 38-yard pass interference call on a deep ball that set up a touchdown — which tells you what his ceiling looks like in a single play. Washington's secondary struggled to contain Philadelphia's big-play potential in Week 1, and Lamb and Pickens present the same threat in a different package. Mike Sainristil has to be sharper in coverage than he was against the Eagles. Nick Cross can't freelance in the box and give Lamb a free release over the middle. If Dallas's passing game wakes up in Week 2, this secondary is the most likely reason why.
Matchup 3: Washington's OL vs. Quinnen Williams & Dallas's Defensive Front
This is where the game could get difficult for Jayden Daniels in a hurry. Regardless of how bad Dallas's defense looked in Week 1, Quinnen Williams is a different kind of problem. The 6-foot-3, 303-pound defensive tackle is a four-time Pro Bowler with 41.5 career sacks, a First-Team All-Pro in 2022, and the kind of interior pass-rush motor that breaks protection schemes rather than just beating individual blockers. After arriving via trade from the Jets last season, Williams was Dallas's best defensive player down the stretch. He said after Sunday's loss: "We got to look in the mirror as a defense. We have the guys on this defensive unit to be accountable and to get better." A motivated Quinnen Williams coming off an embarrassing Week 1 showing is a legitimate threat. That being said, I like Sam Cosmi's ability to control him.
Washington's offensive line held up decently against the Eagles but struggled at moments when Philadelphia's interior pushed through the A-gaps. Nick Allegretti and Chris Paul will face another difficult assignment against Williams and Kenny Clark — another Pro Bowl interior tackle who gives Dallas one of the better interior defensive line rotations in the NFC. If Allegretti can't anchor in pass protection and Williams gets a runway into the backfield, Daniels will be under duress on the exact play-action concepts Blough needs to function.
The key for Washington is establishing the run game early enough to put Dallas in obvious passing situations — which, perversely, is actually better for Daniels because it invites the Cowboys' leaky coverage rather than their pass rush. Control the run. Keep Williams and Clark guessing. Give Daniels clean pockets. That's the formula — and Washington's offensive line has to deliver it.
